All About Plants Printable Book - Montessori for Everyone
All About Plants Printable Book - Montessori for Everyone
All About Plants Printable Book - Montessori for Everyone
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<strong>All</strong> <strong>About</strong> <strong>Plants</strong><br />
What are plants?<br />
<strong>Plants</strong> are living things that are made up of cells. They need air,<br />
water, soil, and sunlight to live. They cannot move from place to<br />
place, but their leaves move to catch the sun and their roots move towards<br />
water. Their seeds can be carried by animals or blown by the<br />
wind.<br />
We get food from all different parts of the plant: flowers, fruits, vegetables,<br />
seeds, nuts, stems, and leaves. Grass gives us a cool, soft place to<br />
walk. Some plants give us medicine, and trees are used to make<br />
paper and furniture.<br />
In this book, you will learn about how plants are classified (organized),<br />
how they live, and how they make their own food.<br />
You will discover that the world uses plants in many<br />
different ways.<br />
Over 270,000 species of plants have been identified<br />
and classified, but scientists believe that there are<br />
millions more waiting to be discovered.<br />
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<strong>About</strong> the Plant Kingdom<br />
The Plant Kingdom is a way to classify (or organize) plants. They are<br />
divided into groups based on the traits they have in common.<br />
Scientists change the way plants are classified from time to time,<br />
when they discover new types of plants or learn new things about<br />
plants.<br />
The two main groups are vascular plants (plants that use stems and<br />
veins to transport food and water), and non-vascular plants (plants<br />
with no roots, stems, or leaves).<br />
Vascular plants can divided into smaller groups, one of which is<br />
seed plants. This group includes flowering and non-flowering plants.<br />
Flowering plants include monocots (one seed leaf) and dicots (two<br />
seed leaves). The non-flowering plants can also be divided into<br />
several groups, including cycads, conifers, and ginkgo.<br />
The Plant Kingdom<br />
Non-Vascular <strong>Plants</strong> Vascular <strong>Plants</strong><br />
Liverworts, Hornworts,<br />
and Mosses<br />
Club Mosses, Horsetails,<br />
and Ferns<br />
Non-Flowering <strong>Plants</strong> Flowering <strong>Plants</strong><br />
Conifers, Cycads,<br />
and Ginkgo<br />
One Seed<br />
Leaf<br />
Seed <strong>Plants</strong><br />
2<br />
3<br />
Two Seed<br />
Leaves
<strong>All</strong> <strong>About</strong> Flowering <strong>Plants</strong><br />
<strong>All</strong> green plants that have flowers are called flowering plants. Scientists<br />
have grouped these according to the number of seed leaves<br />
found in each plant.<br />
Monocots (or monocotyledons) have one seed leaf; dicots (or dicotyledons)<br />
have two seeds leaves. These leaves provide the food<br />
the young plant needs until it can make its own food. Flowering<br />
plants consist of four main parts: (1) roots, (2) stem, (3) leaves, and<br />
(4) flowers.<br />
Dicot<br />
(two seed leaves)<br />
<strong>All</strong> <strong>About</strong> Non-Flowering <strong>Plants</strong><br />
<strong>Plants</strong> without flowers are called non-flowering plants, or gymnosperm.<br />
While they do produce seeds, the seed is not enclosed in a<br />
flower (and eventually a fruit) the way seeds are in flowering plants.<br />
Non-flowering plants are very common, and<br />
include evergreens (conifers), cycads, and<br />
ginkgo. Popular types of conifers include fir<br />
and pine trees. These trees are characterized<br />
by sharp needles and produce cones that<br />
hold the seeds. (See picture: pine cones and needles)<br />
Monocot<br />
(one seed leaf)<br />
Cycads are tropical plants with compound leaves and a sturdy<br />
trunk. Ginkgo trees are one of the oldest kinds of trees known to<br />
exist. They are usually very tall and have unique fan-shaped leaves.<br />
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5
<strong>All</strong> <strong>About</strong> Trees<br />
There are two different types of trees: non-flowering trees that have<br />
seeds that are not enclosed, and flowering trees that have seeds<br />
that are enclosed. An example of a non-flowering tree would be an<br />
pine tree. An example of a flowering tree would be a fruit tree, such<br />
as peach or orange.<br />
Flowering trees are deciduous; that is, they shed their leaves every<br />
year. Other trees are conifers; they grow new leaves be<strong>for</strong>e shedding<br />
old ones, and stay green all year<br />
round (“evergreen”).<br />
Trees consist of roots, trunk (stem),<br />
branches, twigs, and leaves. The tallest<br />
trees in the world are the redwoods of<br />
Cali<strong>for</strong>nia, which can grow to be 379 ft<br />
(115.55 m) in height.<br />
<strong>All</strong> <strong>About</strong> Roots<br />
The roots of a plant have root hairs that absorb water and minerals<br />
from the soil. The root caps protect the root when it bumps into hard<br />
things under the ground.<br />
The roots of a plant always grow towards water. They will even grow<br />
around rocks or other obstacles to reach water. They also help<br />
anchor the plant in the ground, and keep soil in place so it is not<br />
washed away.<br />
Some of the food we eat comes from<br />
roots, like carrots, beets, turnips,<br />
radishes, and potatoes. These are<br />
roots that store food <strong>for</strong> the growing<br />
plant.<br />
Radishes—an edible root.<br />
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7
<strong>All</strong> <strong>About</strong> Leaves<br />
Leaves help plants make their own food. Within the leaf is a green<br />
material called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll absorbs sunlight to make a<br />
natural sugar that the plants uses <strong>for</strong> food.<br />
This process is called photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, carbon<br />
dioxide is used by the plant, and oxygen is released. This makes trees<br />
and plants a great way to keep the air on earth fresh and clean.<br />
The leaf has veins <strong>for</strong> carrying this sugar to other parts of the plant. The<br />
flat, green part of the leaf is called the blade. The edge of the leaf is<br />
called the margin. A good nickname <strong>for</strong> leaves is “suncatchers”,<br />
because they catch the sun that the plant needs<br />
to make food.<br />
In the fall, leaves lose their chlorophyll. That allows<br />
the other colors in the leaf to show, so that we see<br />
yellow, orange, red, and even purple leaves.<br />
<strong>All</strong> <strong>About</strong> Flowers<br />
<strong>Plants</strong> use flowers to reproduce (make more of themselves). The<br />
flower’s job is to produce a fruit, which contains seeds. Flowers are<br />
used by humans to add beauty to outdoor and indoor areas, and<br />
some flowers can also be eaten.<br />
Flowers, or blossoms, are made up of petals, called the corolla,<br />
which are usually brightly colored. The bright colors attract birds<br />
and insects, who spread pollen from one flower to another. This<br />
fertilizes the seeds and allows new plants to grow.<br />
Other parts of the flower include the calyx, the<br />
green leaves that surround the petals; the stamen,<br />
which produces the pollen; and the pistil, which<br />
receives the pollen from another flower to fertilize<br />
the plant.<br />
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9
<strong>All</strong> <strong>About</strong> Seeds<br />
Many plants use seeds to reproduce. A plant produces a very small<br />
version of itself, called an embryo. This embryo, together with its stored<br />
food, is covered with a thin covering called the testa (seed coat). The<br />
embryo, stored food, and testa make up the seed.<br />
This seed will grow into a new plant. The seed uses the stored food to<br />
grow until it is big enough to make its own food, using its leaves. The<br />
seed coat protects the seed until it is ready to grow.<br />
For a seed to germinate (start to grow), it needs to be in moist soil. The<br />
water causes the testa to split apart. Then the root tip of the seeds can<br />
grow into the ground.<br />
<strong>Plants</strong> spread their seeds in many ways. Some seeds are<br />
blown by the wind; others are carried by insects, birds, or<br />
mammals. Nuts, a type of seed, are often buried in the<br />
ground by animals and some result in new plants. Some<br />
seeds fall into water and are carried to new places.<br />
<strong>All</strong> <strong>About</strong> Fruit<br />
Some plants grow a covering <strong>for</strong> their seeds. This<br />
ripened part of the seed is called fruit. Tomatoes,<br />
apples, and peaches are some of the plants that<br />
grow in this way.<br />
Vegetables are actually the fruit part of the plant.<br />
Generally, the ripened part of the plant is called<br />
“fruit” if it is sweet, and “vegetable” if it is savory,<br />
or less sweet.<br />
The outer skin of the fruit is called the exocarp. The fleshy part of the<br />
fruit, the part we eat, is called the mesocarp. The inner part of the fruit<br />
that covers the seeds is called the endocarp. <strong>All</strong> three of these layers<br />
put together are called the pericarp.<br />
Humans and animals use fruits and vegetables as a great source of<br />
food. Most fruits can be eaten raw, although they can also be cooked<br />
or baked. Vegetables generally taste better after being cooked.<br />
10<br />
11
<strong>All</strong> <strong>About</strong> Stems<br />
There are several different types of stems. Flowering plants like carnations<br />
and tomatoes have soft stems. Trees and bushes have hard,<br />
woody stems.<br />
Woody stems have an outer covering called bark. Underneath the<br />
bark is a layer of growing cells called cambium. Every year, trees grow<br />
another layer of cambium. Counting these layers (or rings) tells you how<br />
old the tree is.<br />
The stem of a plant has five main jobs: (1) to support the leaves, flowers,<br />
and fruit of the plant; (2) to act as a highway, bringing water and<br />
nutrients to the plant; (3) the storage of food <strong>for</strong> the plant; (4) holding<br />
up the leaves so that they can catch sunlight; (5) producing new living<br />
tissue <strong>for</strong> the plant.<br />
Some stems are edible—asparagus (shown) and<br />
rhubarb are two examples.<br />
Sentence Completion<br />
Find the correct word to complete the sentence and write it on your paper.<br />
1. The _______________ of a plant hold it in the ground.<br />
2. A _____________is a living thing that makes its own food.<br />
3. The _______________of the flower produces pollen.<br />
4. _______________ is the substance that makes leaves green.<br />
5. Some flowers make a cover <strong>for</strong> their seeds. This is called __________.<br />
6. The roots are protected by the _________________.<br />
7. The plant uses air, water, and ___________ to make its own food.<br />
8. <strong>Plants</strong> use flowers to ________________.<br />
9. The embryo of the plant is covered by the _________________.<br />
10. One of the jobs of a __________is to support the leaves, flowers, and<br />
fruit.<br />
fruit chlorophyll stamen roots stem<br />
plant seed coat sunlight root caps reproduce<br />
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Self-Study Questions<br />
Write the answers on your paper in complete sentences.<br />
1. What two groups make up the plant kingdom?<br />
2. Name one type of non-flowering plant.<br />
3. How many seed leaves does a monocot have?<br />
4. List the four main parts of a flowering plant.<br />
5. Name two jobs of the root.<br />
6. Name three kinds of roots that we eat.<br />
7. What kind of stem do trees and bushes have?<br />
8. Name two jobs of the stem.<br />
9. How do leaves make food <strong>for</strong> the plant?<br />
10. Why are the petals of a flower brightly colored?<br />
11. What is the part of the fruit we usually eat?<br />
12. Name the four things that a plant needs to survive.<br />
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